Carl Edwards experiences Ford's comeback during F-150 plant tour

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards spent part of his day on Thursday touring a Ford plant in Dearborn, Mich., and there he got a first-hand look at the auto manufacturer's comeback.

Edwards, who drives the No. 99 Ford Fusion in the Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing, said this trip was a real eye-opener, but in a much different way than his stop at that same plant just three or four years ago.

“They said at that plant they produce 377,000 F-150s per year,” Edwards said at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., on Friday. “That is an F-150 every 50 seconds. We were standing up there on the walkway looking down, and the gentleman that was in charge of our tour said he remembers very vividly times when there were no trucks being produced right there. He said that was very scary.”

Fast-forward to 2012, and Ford F-Series truck sales have numbered 350,455 in 2012, including 49,314 in July alone.

“I think that we can all be proud of what Ford has done, how they have run their business,” Edwards said. “I think it is a good example of sacrifice and responsibility, and I think the success they are having now is well deserved, and I am proud to be just a small part of it.

“Three or four years ago, [Ford marketing chief] Jim Farley pulled us in and gave us the state of the automotive industry, and it was a very sobering meeting. We walked in there as racers that were going to Ford to learn what was going on, and after about 20 minutes it was clear to us that the domestic auto industry was in big trouble, and that Ford was doing the very best they could to make sure they weathered the storm but there were no guarantees. I think it says a lot about their leadership, their ability to sacrifice and make tough decisions, and I am proud to be a part of Ford.”

Mike Pryson
- Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and M-Live Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek as online motorsports editor In 2012.
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